Car statistics by year

2015 BMW 1 Series

BMW 1 Series cars first registered in 2015: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2015, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW 1 Series. “2015” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
31,377 MOT tests of 2015 BMW 1 Series cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 77.8% All 2015 cars 72.6%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 82,300 miles; all 2015 cars 72,100
  • Left at the end of 2025 29,409 92.7% of the 31,725 at the end of 2015
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 7.6% All 2015 cars 7.2%
  • Tests with an advisory 48.0% All 2015 cars 51.7%
  • MOT tests in 2025 31,377 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2015 BMW 1 Series do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 10 years old, 77.8% of 2015 BMW 1 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.6% for all cars first registered in 2015. 2015 BMW 1 Series did better than average for their age, by 5.2 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 78.2% of the time (all 2015 cars 74.3%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: BMW 1 Series vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each BMW 1 Series bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, BMW 1 Series compared with all cars
First registered BMW 1 SeriesAll cars
’09 65.2%58.2%
’10 66.3%59.3%
’11 67.5%61.5%
’12 66.6%63.6%
’13 70.1%66.0%
’14 73.4%69.1%
’15 77.8%72.6%
’16 79.6%75.6%
’17 82.0%79.1%
’18 83.6%81.8%
’19 85.5%84.4%
’20 87.8%86.9%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2015 BMW 1 Series

Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm was the most common single reason a 2015 BMW 1 Series failed, on 13.4% of about 7,000 failed tests. By area of the car, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment failed most often (36.3% of failed tests; all 2015 cars 30.7%). 7.6% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.2% for all cars first registered in 2015. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2015 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 13.4%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.7%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes 8.5%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.0%
Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 6.8%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility 6.7%
Washers: not working Visibility 6.4%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks 6.3%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 5.8%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension 5.5%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: BMW 1 Series vs all 2015 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2015 BMW 1 Series MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2015 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 36.3%
Tyres 31.8%
Brakes 18.6%
Visibility 18.2%
Suspension 13.7%
Noise, emissions and leaks 9.6%
Road wheels 4.9%
Body, chassis, structure 4.2%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2015 BMW 1 Series

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 48.0% of 2015 BMW 1 Series tests had at least one (all 2015 cars 51.7%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2015 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 21.1%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 10.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 9.7%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 4.7%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 4.5%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes 3.9%
Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension 3.2%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 3.0%
Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories 2.1%
Transmission oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 2.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2015 BMW 1 Series?

Half of the 2015 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 82,300 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 63,900 and a quarter more than 102,800. For all cars first registered in 2015, the middle figure was 72,100 miles, so 2015 BMW 1 Series have been driven 14.1% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2015 BMW 1 Series and all 2015 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2015 BMW 1 Series 47,600 63,900 82,300 102,800 124,400 30,105
All 2015 cars 36,100 52,200 72,100 94,600 119,500 2,231,507
miles

Half of the 2015 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 82,300 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2015 BMW 1 Series are left?

At the end of 2015, 31,725 2015 BMW 1 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2025, 29,409 were: 28,795 licensed and 614 declared off the road (SORN). That is 92.7% still on the record, against 93.2% for all cars first registered in 2015.

Share still on the record since 2015

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2015. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2015 BMW 1 Series on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2015, compared with all 2015 cars
Year end 2015 BMW 1 SeriesAll 2015 cars
2015 100.0%100.0%
2016 99.8%100.7%
2017 99.0%99.9%
2018 95.2%96.7%
2019 97.0%97.6%
2020 96.7%96.9%
2021 96.5%96.7%
2022 95.8%96.1%
2023 95.0%95.3%
2024 93.9%94.3%
2025 92.7%93.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2015

11 of the BMW 1 Series’s 39 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2015. 2 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2015 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2015 may have been built in 2014, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW 1 Series recalls whose build dates include 2015
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
18 Dec 2025 Takata Driver and/or Passenger Airbag Recall (Global VINs) 15 Apr 2004 to 4 Nov 2017 5,637
21 Oct 2024 Check Driver’s Airbag for Conversion Takata SDI & PSDI-5 15 Apr 2004 to 8 Nov 2017 172,517
24 Jan 2023 A possible degradation of the propellant tablets could lead to an over-aggressive combustion in the event the airbag is activated which may cause the inflator body to rupture. 22 Oct 2013 to 30 Jun 2017 39,227
22 Aug 2022 Undetected EGR System leaks may cause thermal activity in the intake manifold 12 Feb 2015 to 1 Mar 2018 322,745 (all models)
1 Aug 2022 The exhaust gas recirculation cooler may leak over time and cause thermal incident 3 Nov 2011 to 3 Jun 2019 319,399 (all models)
9 Feb 2021 The exhaust gas recirculation cooler could leak over time 28 Feb 2015 to 15 Oct 2018 63,888 (all models)
17 Aug 2020 The exhaust gas recirculation module cooler could leak over time 21 Oct 2014 to 26 Jun 2017 71,128 (all models)
7 Dec 2018 Exhaust gas recirculation module cooler could leak 3 Nov 2011 to 26 Feb 2015 225,449 (all models)
5 Nov 2018 Exhaust gas recirculation cooler could potentially leak over time 29 Jul 2014 to 18 Sept 2017 153,602 (all models)
21 Dec 2016 Power steering may not perform correctly 19 Sept 2011 to 8 Dec 2015 41 (all models)
8 Jun 2015 Engine may stall 1 Sept 2013 to 30 Apr 2014 and 1 Sept 2014 to 31 Mar 2015 1,646 (all models)

Every BMW 1 Series recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the BMW 1 Series

19 years of the BMW 1 Series, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2008 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (65.5% passed first time) and the 2020 cars worst (87.8%).

BMW 1 Series by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2004 1,622 61.3% 57.9%
2005 5,643 61.6% 57.7%
2006 7,361 62.3% 56.9%
2007 8,939 64.6% 57.3%
2008 14,075 65.5% 57.0%
2009 17,835 65.2% 58.2%
2010 20,906 66.3% 59.3%
2011 20,809 67.5% 61.5%
2012 27,102 66.6% 63.6%
2013 33,475 70.1% 66.0%
2014 31,091 27,965 73.4% 69.1%
2015 31,725 29,409 77.8% 72.6%
2016 30,200 28,673 79.6% 75.6%
2017 28,993 27,757 82.0% 79.1%
2018 22,445 22,020 83.6% 81.8%
2019 23,835 23,063 85.5% 84.4%
2020 20,912 20,304 87.8% 86.9%
2021 15,581 15,069 90.4% 88.4%
2022 11,573 11,040 91.0% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 31,377 MOT tests of 2015 BMW 1 Series cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 29,409 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of BMW 1 Series cars first registered in 2015; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2015.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.